Rollover Pass Project and Plan

Rollover Pass ProjectAn environmental assessment of Rollover Pass showed there would be no significant environmental impact from closing the popular fish pass. Florida-based Taylor Engineering Inc. conducted the study, which proved the man-made pass contributed to the high rates of erosion on Bolivar Peninsula. The study was done as part of the Texas General Land Office’s permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close Rollover Pass.

The study also provided new data on future salinity levels in East Bay, and explains how the pass can be closed without affecting highway traffic or disrupting nearby property owners.

Many studies have been conducted on Rollover Pass since 1958, and all of them found that it causes erosion problems. One study, done in 1989, showed that Rollover Pass dumps more than 290,000 cubic yards of sand into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway each year.